This month we wanted to highlight a recent graduate and Bonner Leader. Gabriela Ortiz-Riera graduated in May 2023 and has been a part of Bonner Community Leaders since her freshman year. Read about the impact Bonner Community Leaders has had on her college experience and now as a college graduate.
Gabriela Ortiz-Riera (Class of 2023)
The way that Bonner Community Leaders has positively affected me is how I was able to build many connections and be where I am thanks to the opportunities given to me through the program where I got support from the Bonner supervisors and my site supervisors who guided me and made sure that I was learning new skills that will help me once I am done with college. I love how as an alumni, I am still connected with folks I met through the program who continue to support me and some be my friends.
Being a Bonner fellow made my college experience more fun because I made meaningful friendships through the program and learned so much about the amazing community that Augsburg is surrounded by. I also learned so much about the resources available to folks, which was good to learn and share with those who need the support.
Thanks to my connection with the Bonner Community Leaders, I got a job at Redesign Inc due to their affiliation with the program and knowing the fellows’ meaningful work. It has brought me so many great opportunities from the skills I built through the program. If I had known what I know now about the program three years ago, I would still be happy to apply to be part of the Bonner Community Leaders, as it has positively impacted my life after college.
I have so many great moments from being a Bonner fellow, for example, one of my best moments is when we would have our end-of-year celebration, and we all reflected on what we had done. That was one of the meaningful parts of my experience in the program. It was always exciting to hear what everyone has been up to on their interning site during the semester or year.